King County voters approve Proposition 2, a bond issue for parks, on November 7, 1989.

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On November 7, 1989, King County voters approve Proposition 2, a bond issue to buy, protect or develop more than 3,000 acres of open space, 185 miles of trails, and 250 acres of park land in the county.

Land for Parks and Trails

Voters approved Proposition 2 by a two to one ratio. The issue called for refurbishment, acquisition, or development of 116 pieces of property throughout the county, including land on Tiger, Cougar, and Squak mountains in Issaquah, 350 acres for Three Forks Park in Snoqualmie, and 350 acres at Moss Lake in Redmond. Plans also included joining Seattle's Burke Gilman Trail and the existing Sammamish River Trail.

Voters defeated a similar open-space bond issue in September 1988. That proposal faced opposition from groups such as the Federal Way Community Council for short-changing its part of the county, and from Vision Quest, a Seattle group that didn't want Seattle's share of parks and open-space money going to expand and refurbish the Seattle Aquarium.

This 1989 bond issue dropped the Aquarium expansion request and earmarked more money for Federal Way. It received only minimal opposition, mostly from groups whose objections centered on money being needed more urgently for other county departments, such as schools and roads.

Sources:
"Open-space Bond Issue Gets a Green Light," The Seattle Times, November 7, 1989, p. B-2; Voters Guide, The Seattle Times, November 5, 1989; Peggy Reynolds, "Proposition 2, Assuring a Green Future in County," The Seattle Times, November 1, 1989, p. F-1, F-2.

By Alyssa Burrows, December 24, 2002

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